Chapter XIII

Chapter 13 of the novel Reapers

Deafening, ringing silence flooded November's ears as she crept into her dark home, illuminated only by the faint moonlight bleeding through the windows. Lisa was surely sleeping at this hour and Nathaniel was staying over with Emery just so he'd have a reason to get out of the house. They both figured it was for his benefit. Someone could only stay locked away for so long. She placed a hand against the open door and pressed it slowly until she heard the reassuring click of its closing before twisting the lock on the knob along with the dead bolt. Her footsteps were almost inhumanly light as she practically floated upstairs to avoid making any unnecessary noises that would awaken her sleeping dragon of a mother.

Once November had made it to the safety of her own room, she felt a sense of relief wash over her now that she could be her normal noisy, clumsy self. She swiftly showered and changed into much more comfortable clothes before finding herself wrapped snugly into the heavenly softness that was her bed.

"Oh, sweet Jesus this is glorious," November cooed, tugging her blanket around herself tightly, feeling like a human burrito.

Her long, damp hair draped across her pillows like long, slender rivers spilling over her various bedding. November stared at her hair as she lie, suddenly with a twisting pit in her stomach that filled with a strange sense of dread. Her mind had caught up with her and her extraordinarily peculiar encounter she'd had earlier.

"Why would anyone be after my family? Surely his warning was totally unrelated to the visit we'd received from Lillith Devereaux and her entourage several days ago. Why was he even warning me? Was he part of some super secret organization that was stalking the true intentions of some other super secret organization? Was this some sort of weird spy movie I'd found myself in? Was he just on a bad acid trip? What the hell was going on?" Her mind raced with thoughts, unable to cut itself off from filling her consciousness with a barrage of ludicrous ideas.

That was the moment she heard it. November had keen hearing, especially in the dead of night. Any little noise never escaped her. It was a faint rattling in the distance. Something metal. A door knob. She quickly hopped from her bed, rushing to her bedroom door as she slid it almost closed, her face pressed firmly up against the small crack she'd left to see through. She waited, breathless, for the noise to happen again. There is was. The door knob on the front door rattled again as though someone were trying to turn it as her heart began to race fiercely in her chest. He was right. Someone was here and they were after her family. Before she could even arrive at her next thought, there was a sharp metallic scrape as she watched the door handle closest to her fall onto the floor, the remaining innards of the fixture had been torn out by something on the other side. November was gasping heavily, now. Whoever, or whatever, it was - they were coming in. The door was forced open with an ear piercing, grinding metal-on-metal crash. The dead bolt had just been completely broken off as the door was forced open and off of its frame. There, behind the pulverized door, stood the greasy blonde from the visit with Lillith Devereaux, her prime security personnel, Ekko.

A grimace was plastered across his face as he made his way in, the other security guard, Gunner, following closely behind along with the red-haired assistant, Rosalind.

"What the hell were they doing? Was Ezekiel right?" November's mind worried, the safety of her mother also filling her thoughts. "We have to get out of here," She whispered to herself.

"You know, we could've just silently went through the window and made this much easier," Rosalind commented snarkily.

"Shut up, simple girl. These petty people are not my concern, nor is their safety. So what if we wake them up? I'll just kill them, problem solved." Ekko snapped, turned to Rosalind.

November's eyes widened with fear as she heard the phrase "kill them." Was this really how she was going to die? Trapped in her room, being hunted by a pack of strangers for unknown reasons?

"Where is the boy, fearless leader?" Rosalind chimed, her eyes peering around the home's layout.

"Surely in his room, which if I'm correct, is right the-" He'd raised his finger to point towards the upstairs area, but was abruptly cut off by a disgruntled woman who'd emerged from her nearby bedroom. Lisa, armed with an aluminum baseball bat from Nathaniel's brief tee ball days.

"What the hell are you doing in my house? Are you those people from that awful company that came by wanting my son? Get out of my house! Now, before I call the police! What is wrong with you?!" Lisa raged, waving her hands frantically at them towards her demolished door. "And look at this! Breaking and entering, what is this?! You'll be paying for that, definitely!" She continued, motioning to the door.

"Speaking of your son, where is the little fellow?" Ekko asked calmly, a smirk creeping across his smug face.

"Not here. Now get the f**k out of my house before I kill all three of you," Lisa threatened.

"Wow.. go Mom," November cheered quietly from upstairs under her breath as she continued to watch through the door.

"Of course, of course, but before we go, could you tell us where he is?" Ekko asked.

As Ekko continued, Gunner had made his way upstairs before November had even noticed. He was in Nathaniel's room and back out into the hallway in a flash, almost impossibly quickly.

"She's right. He's not here," He called down to Ekko before joining him at his side.

"I would rather die, now get out of my house!" She roared, turning to grab her cell phone on the lamp stand next to her.

"As you wish, my dear." Ekko complied, suddenly crossing the room and appearing behind Lisa. In one swift jerk, a snap crackled through the air as Lisa's head twisted and her limp, lifeless body fell to the floor.

"NO! MOM! YOU SON OF A B-" November tore out of the door, attracting all of their attention, before she was suddenly hurled back into her room by something behind her. A mouth was covering her mouth to muffle her shouts.

"Shh! SHHHH!" It was Cavanaugh. He was trying hush her as his gloved hand covered her mouth. "Listen to me, please. We have to get you out of here, I am so sorry we were too late for your mother. But you have to trust us. We have to go. Now. We must get to your brother before they do," He warned, his gentle eyes shimmering with genuine concern in the darkness of her bedroom.

"Oh, now where'd that beautiful young lady go?" Ekko called, his footsteps coming from right outside the door before he pushed it open gently. "Ohh, and who do we have here?" He asked, his eyes shining a striking blue in the night, his companions joining his side.

Her bedroom window suddenly shattered as another person came crashing into the room, swinging from some type of cable. "The goddamn party," Ezekiel claimed to Ekko as he rose from the pile of shattered glass and crumbled bits of window sill. He was dressed in black from head to toe in what looked like a long sleeved compression shirt, covered by a layer of body armor. Some type of seal or logo adorned the chest, however November could not make out what it was in the darkness. His pants were cargo pants, almost, holstered with what looked like various weaponry and firearms. If she had to guess, he was some sort of mercenary. "Get her out of here," Ezekiel instructed Cavanaugh as he responded with a nod.

Before November could begin to gather her thoughts, Ezekiel leapt across the room with such furosity, grasping both Gunner and Ekko, he slammed them into the floorboards, sending a tidal wave of splintered wood, nails, and sheetrock spilling over onto the bottom floor as he drove their bodies clear through the floors of her home's upstairs living area. All three landed with a bombastic crash on the bottom floor, shards of wood, tile, and sheet rock raining down upon them. Rosalind had hit the floor to avoid the calamity, in awe, before turning her irate gaze to Cavanaugh and November.

"You're dead," She threatened, rearing her arm back as the temperature in the room began to drop rapidly around them.

"Gotta go!" Cavanaugh yelped, before picking November up with ease and running to the window. "Get on my back, we have to go. Now," He ordered.

November complied without question, stunned at the events unfolding around her. Was this some sort of bad dream? She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, noticing that he was wearing the same sort of black mercenery get-up. November looked back at Rosalind as they descended the cable put in place by Ezekiel. Something had erupted from her palm and came flying directly at the busted window. As they descended to the ground, she noticed the gaping hole where the window had once been, along with the upper half of the rope had completely frozen.

"Wha.." was all that November could utter, because she was at a complete loss for words. Ezekiel was slamming people through floors, this crazed woman was shooting ice from her hands. Was she on drugs? Had someone slipped her something earlier in the night?

"We've got a Poisoned Apple in the Brooks residence. Ezekiel will need back-up immediately. I've got the girl and I'm en route to the precious cargo," He was muttering into a band on his wrist that was alight with several LEDs and a tiny screen.

"I'm on it," A female voice answered, one November could only assume was Aurora's.

"What about the mother?" Another voice answered, a male one, whom November assumed was Ryker.

"Unfortunately... we were too late," Cavanaugh replied.

"Not the answer I wanted to hear," Ryker called back, sternly.

"Where is your brother, November? It's imperitive that we know," Cavanaugh pleaded to November as they approached his vehicle.

"How do I know I can trust you? What's even going on?" November cried, snatching her arm back from him as he had been dragging her across the yard.

"You don't have a choice," He warned as they approached the most menacing Jeep November had ever set eyes on. "Get in."